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Chris Lambrecht’s Strategic Marketing Thoughts
60 Seconds of Information Impacting You and Our Fast Forward Economy

April 2005 --

Estimated Reading Time: 60 Seconds Per Article

60 Second Articles
1. How Do You Say “Sorry” To 1,500 Former Customers?
2. Yahoo Undergoes A Facelift

3. How Will You Vote: Democrats or Republicans? Paper or Touch Screen?

4. The 60 Second Close: Is Your Marketing Plan Made Up Of Marshmallows?

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1. How Do You Say “Sorry” To 1,500 Former Customers?

· Imagine this daunting task -- apologizing to over 1,500 of your former customers due to a soured image, product or service that you provided. How does one clean up this mess? This is the challenge that the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers currently face due to their team’s poor image as a result of some of their players’ criminal problems.

· As part of their "We Want You Back" campaign to repair that image and attract former ticket holders, team officials delivered red and white rose bouquets to 1,500 former season ticket holders' homes. The bouquets included notes that read, “Roses are red and some are white, too; Trail Blazer games aren't the same without you."

· The jury is out on whether the roses will work magic on their disenchanted customers, but it’s a first positive step in making amends.

· Our take on this is that if the product is bad, you fix the product. The best marketing and PR available aren’t going to fix the problem.

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2. Yahoo Undergoes A Facelift

· The second most popular search engine is undergoing cosmetic surgery. After years of having an informative, yet busy and slow loading home page, and while battling Google’s clean antiseptic home page image, Yahoo is beta-testing a more functional and simpler style in an effort to get people to visit their site more often. Check out Yahoo’s look at www.yahoo.com/upgrade.com (you will probably need to cut and paste this into your browser window to see Yahoo’s “Google look-alike.”).

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3. How Will You Vote: Democrats or Republicans? Paper or Touch Screen?

· As the presidential candidates pitch their platforms, the one big story we’re not hearing is the pitch for electronic voting devices. This November, Washington DC and Maryland voters will cast their votes by tapping on computer screens rather than pulling levers, punching cards or marking ballots.

· Computerized touch screen voting is seen by many as the “best” replacement to the antiquated systems that spawned the presidential election voting disaster in Florida, four years ago. No doubt there will continue to be outcries of fraud by the losing party, regardless of methodologies.

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4. The 60 Second Close: Is Your Marketing Plan Made Up Of Marshmallows?

· Marshmallows, as you know, are soft, light and almost bland and can easily be torn apart. Marshmallows aren’t much of anything. Is your marketing plan the same way?

· Your marketing program must start with a strong foundation, a solid backbone -- a real strategy for success. Sending roses to customers who have left you is one way to revitalize a corporate image; Yahoo changing their look as a result of customer research is another. These are two programs that came out of a committed plan to grow and succeed.

· Re-examine your own company’s plan. Does it need a jumpstart? Is it full of marshmallows? Our suggestion? Don’t risk getting roasted; we can help you plan for your success. We’ll meet you in the boardroom, on the golf course, or at Starbucks to get started. Call us today at (770) 457-3700, or send me an email at chrisl@intellmkt.com.

Best Wishes,

Chris Lambrecht

Intelligent Marketing Solutions